Every American knows (or should know) they've got a right to an attorney. But when you're being arrested at 2 AM, legal counsel may prove hard to find. Not so with LawyerUp.

LawyerUp, which currently has an Android app and is expected to be on iOS eventually, puts you in touch with a pre-screened, bar-approved advocate within 15 minutes. The 24/7 hotline avoids crossing ethics boundaries because the lawyers don't pay LawyerUp to find clients (a practice referred to as using runners). In fact, the lawyers don't pay LawyerUp anything. That's all on you.

Legal advice is never free. The service costs you $5/month or, if you're not a member but in a real bind, you can pay $100 for their "pay-in-a-pinch plan." That's not including the $250 you'll owe for your first hour of legal representation. If you don't wanna lose all that cash, you should think twice the next time you go and get caught cow tipping. [LawyerUp via NYTimes]